Lewis Hamilton claimed a part in the history that was scripted in Tahiti yesterday. Not just Formula 1, Hamilton is one of the top athletes in the entire world. And he always makes sure to cheer on his fellow top players whenever they achieve great results. Be it Serena Williams’ tennis mastery or Miles Chamley-Watson’s fencing skills–Lewis makes sure to appreciate them all. And now, he has decided to fanboy over one of the most prolific surfers at the Paris Olympics 2024, Gabriel Medina.

When French photographer Jerome Brouillet waited in his boat for a great capture, he never realized what was coming at him. As a massive wave threatened to crash on the shores of Tahiti, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina caught it with flair. With the 30-year-old Olympian ‘kicking out’ and exiting the wave, Brouillet’s shutter clicked. And the results showed a shot where Medina and his surfboard seemed to be floating over the waters. The photo went viral on social media, with several athletes commenting on it.

After the wave, Medina came out with an excellent score of 9.9. While he won a place in the men’s surfing quarterfinals, the Brazilian’s mid-air shot won people’s praise on Instagram. Being an honorary citizen of Gabriel Medina’s country, perhaps Lewis Hamilton knows the surfer quite well. When he saw the viral post, he quickly reshared it as his IG story update. And the Mercedes racer also gave some fire emojis to show how amazed he was by Gabriel Medina’s anti-gravity stance.

But Hamilton was not the only athlete who cheered on Instagram for Gabriel Medina’s brilliant show of skills at the Olympics. It almost looked like the entire Brazilian soccer team took to the surfer’s comment section. Vinicius Jr. and Marcelo showed their love for Medina while 11-time World Surf League Champion Kelly Slater wrote, “Nice work!” The picture has garnered a whopping 6.09m likes on Instagram.

Busy with his Olympics preps, Gabriel Medina has not commented on how his shot has gone viral on social media. However, what did the photographer who took the historic photo have to say about Medina’s skills?

French photographer claims Gabriel Medina knew his wave was a winner

While the Paris Olympics has seen some of the most amazing sports moments of this year, Gabriel Medina’s God-like surfing post has gone viral amongst them all. The Brazilian surfer shared the shot on his official social media page with the caption – “I can do everything through him who strengthens.” Now, the photographer who took the beautiful picture has come forward to share some more quotes on the epic moment that led to Medina’s picture.

To clock his best score and advance into the quarterfinals of surfing, Gabriel Medina needed a huge wave. When he found that, photographer Brouillet says the 3-time WSL World Championship winner already knew he was going to ace the competition. Brouillet said, “I think that when he was in the tube, he knew that he was in one of the biggest waves of the day. He is jumping out of the water like ‘Man, I think this is a 10’.”

While Gabriel scored 0.1 points shy of a perfect 10, it will be enough to take him into the QFs where he will go up against USA’s surfing legend Kelly Slater. With the Formula 1 season being on a break right now, Lewis Hamilton seems to be watching the Olympics in 2024. The Briton has not appeared in Paris to watch the Games in person, but he is following the results of each sport, for sure.

If not for any other athlete, Lewis will definitely watch the Olympics on August 4 as his friend Miles-Chamley Watson will represent America at the Men’s Team Foil (Fencing) quarterfinal. Just like Lewis, are you feeling the Olympics fever too? Let us know which team you are rooting for in the different sports disciplines by commenting below!